Model Teacher Role Overview
What is a Model Teacher?
Teacher Career Pathways teacher leader roles offer opportunities for highly skilled teachers to innovate and hone their
practice through continuous learning and frequent professional learning opportunities. Teacher leaders can expand their
reach beyond the classroom by sharing their expertise with colleagues and developing a strong school culture through
peer support, collaboration, and trust.
The Model Teacher role is an opportunity for educators to take on a formal leadership role and use their classrooms as a
laboratory and resource to support the instructional practice of other teachers at their school.
What Does an Ideal Model Teacher Look Like?
Model teachers are highly skilled educators with a passion and drive to improve the instructional quality of their schools by
extending their impact as teachers. They are highly skilled educators who promote strong teacher practice by
purposefully sharing practices that have proven to be most beneficial for students at their school.
Model teachers create a welcoming environment for teachers to reflect, grow, and continuously explore innovative
instructional strategies. Model Teachers demonstrate great instructional expertise, a dedication to professional growth,
and a strong understanding of their community’s needs.
What do Model Teachers Commit to do?
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Exemplify Excellent
Teaching Practice
Through Laboratory
Classroom
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Support Pedagogical
Growth
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Develop a strategic plan for the use of
a laboratory classroom
Align lessons to the Common Core
Learning Standards and model the
use of the Danielson Framework
Create a welcoming and open
environment for teacher reflection and
growth
Continuously explore and
demonstrate emerging instructional
practices, tools, or techniques
Showcase professional and
pedagogical practices, including the
processes for reflecting and
adjusting their practice
Reflect on and debrief own lessons
with colleagues
Demonstrate and articulate effective
teaching practices
Foster trusting and collaborative
relationships with colleagues in
order to encourage intervisitation
Establish a
laboratory classroom
to serve as a
resource for
colleagues
Align lessons to the
Danielson
Framework and
model the use of the
Common Core
Learning Standards
Reflect on and
debrief own lessons
with colleagues and
model a
collaborative
environment
Model Teachers teach a full classroom schedule and use their
professional period to perform the responsibilities listed above. In
elementary schools with a seven-period per day schedule, they are
relieved for a minimum of two periods per week. In elementary
schools with eight-periods, they are relieved of teaching for a
minimum of one period per week. Additionally, they work two
additional summer days to be scheduled during the week preceding
Labor Day and two additional hours per month.
Visit schools.nyc.gov/TeacherLeadership to learn more!
Last Updated: November 2015
Model Teacher Role Overview
What are the Benefits?
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Work collaboratively with colleagues
Work with school leadership to improve curriculum and
maximize use of the Danielson Framework and
Common Core Learning Standards
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Influence the instructional practice of schools
Be a part of a community of teacher leaders
Receive a $7,500 salary addition for work related
to the role
How do Model Teachers Balance Priorities?
A strong Model Teacher will need to employ a range of strategies for managing limited time and
juggling multiple commitments.
✗
Below is an example of how a Model Teacher could structure time:
 Ongoing commitments
 Prep materials or develop resources for inter-visitations
 Structure lessons or activities that target identified needs
 Conduct one-on-one conversations about growing teacher practice
and/or debrief meetings with teachers
 Every other week
 Email easy-to-read updates to the principal
 Schedule classroom visits and debriefs with diligence and flexibility
 Once per cycle
 Select a particular component from the Danielson Framework for Teaching to focus on with colleagues
 Develop strategic plan for the use of a laboratory classroom
What is the Selection and Application Process?
To be eligible to participate in the application and selection process for a Model Teacher qualification, teachers must be:
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A current, full-time NYCDOE educator
Tenured on or before the first day of the school year
Receive an Advance Overall Rating of “Highly Effective,” “Effective,” or “Satisfactory,” if applicable for the for the
preceding school year
Interested teachers can qualify to take on a Teacher Career Pathways teacher leader role by participating in a joint
NYCDOE-UFT screening process. The application is anticipated to open in between the winter and spring of 2015-16.
Teachers who become qualified through this process are eligible to be hired to take on a Model Teacher role during the
2016-17 school year. Teacher leader qualifications are valid for two consecutive school years, and those who would like
to continue in their role must participate in another screening and selection process to renew their qualification in the
eligible pool of teacher leaders. Please visit our website at schools.nyc.gov/teacherleadership to learn more about the
selection and application process.
Principals make selections of teacher leader positions only from the pool of eligible candidates selected by the Joint
Selection Committee. All teachers interested in taking on the Model Teacher role are encouraged to speak to their
principal and then apply.
Visit schools.nyc.gov/TeacherLeadership to learn more!
Last Updated: November 2015